An Investigation of the role
of Alcohol Expectancies in,
and the phenomenology of,
binge drinking patterns &
behaviours of an Irish
undergraduate sample
Sinéad Ní Chaoláin
Supervised by Dr. Geraldine
Moane
UCD School of Psychology
Alcohol Consumption in Ireland
• Alcohol has become an intrinsic part of Irish
culture and society.
- It’s use has become “deeply woven into
our national identity”
Mongan, Reynolds, Fanagan and Long, (2007)
• Heavily associated with emotional situations
and plays a key role in social ritual as a
social lubricant
Mental Health Foundation, (2006)
Alcohol Consumption in Ireland
• Sharp rise in volume of alcohol consumed in
Ireland during the past two decades:
– 48% increase in consumption per capita during
the period 1986 – 2006
– Reached a peak in 2001 of 14.3 litres of pure
alcohol per adult (persons aged over 15 years of
age)
– Drinks industry in Ireland estimated to be worth
€6.9billion in 2008
– Currently ranked as third highest consumer of
alcohol in Europe Union after Luxembourg and
Hungary.
Hope, (2007).
Alcohol Consumption in Ireland
• Abstention rate in Ireland represents
23% of the population – therefore,
drinking population are consuming
more alcohol than statistics indicate.
• Therefore, higher proportion drinking at
harmful levels
O’Farrell, Allwright, Downey, Bedford & Howell, (2004)
Binge Drinking
Definitions:
• A pattern of heavy drinking that “occurs in
an extended period set aside for the
purpose”
World Health Organisation, (1994)
• The consumption of a large quantity of
alcohol in a relatively short period of time,
usually with the pre-determined and specific
aim of getting drunk
Mongan et al, (2007)
Consequences of Binge
Drinking
• Alcohol implicated in between 25 and 40% of
Irish Accident and Emergency admissions,
23% reported as being acutely intoxicated –
92% increase between 1995 and 2004
• Heavy consumption associated with
increased vulnerability to levels of mental illhealth – “greatest clinical problem facing
general adult mental health services”
Foster, (2001)
Consequences of Binge
Drinking
• Significant relationship has also been
established between alcohol consumption
and criminal or antisocial behaviour;
- for example alcohol has been found in
numerous studies to be the substance most
significantly associated with Drug Facilitated
Sexual Assault
Hindmarch & Brinkmann, (1999); White, (2000); Hall & Moore, (2008)
Alcohol expectancies
• Defined as comprising a network of
cognitions that serves to organise our
individual understanding of how
alcohol affects the mood, behaviour
and cognitive capacity of ourselves and
others;
- that is the expected consequences
of alcohol consumption act as principal
mediator in it’s occurence
Knight & Godfrey, (1993)
Why conduct the study?
• Significantly more alcohol and other
substances consumed by young
people in college/university than peers
living at home or who directly enter the
workforce after second-level education;
• time of particular vulnerability
regarding development of problem
drinking and other risk-taking
behaviours.
Aim of the study
• To examine the phenomenology of the binge
drinking culture that has developed in
Ireland, particularly within the young adult
population, over the last two decades.
• To investigate the role of Alcohol
Expectancies in the levels and patterns of
alcohol consumption of Irish undergraduate
college students and why harmful patterns of
alcohol consumption continue despite
experience of negative consequences.
The current study:
• The current study will involve the following
measures:
- demographic data
- alcohol consumption:
Measures used in national studies for comparative
purposes (eg. Palmer & O’Reilly, 2008) and the Khavari
Alcohol Test (Khavari & Farber, 1978)
- alcohol expectancies:
Alcohol Outcome Expectancy scale (Stacy & Leigh,
1993)
- frequency of experienced negative consequences:
The Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (White & Labouvie,
1989)
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Participants
Sample consisted of 303 UCD students
148 male, 155 female
Age range of 18 – 25 years
Mean = 19.35 years; Standard Deviation =
1.351
• 73 resided on-campus, 83 off-campus and
147 resided at home with parents
• Participants were recruited through
convenience sampling, consisting of the
administration of questionnaires at the
start/end of lectures and an on-campus
convenience sample
Table 1
Summary Data: choice of alcoholic beverage
Results:
• Khavari Alcohol Test:
• 12litres of Annual Absolute Alcohol
Intake (AAAI) for males and 6litres of
AAAI for females indicates harmful
levels of consumption
• 50% of participants drinking in excess
of 16litres of Annual Absolute Alcohol
Intake
Table 2
Pearson Correlation Matrix
Results:
• Two-way between groups MANOVA:
Impact of Alcohol Consumption on
Alcohol Expectancies and
Experienced Negative Consequences
3 Dependent Variables:
Frequency of experienced negative
consequences (RAPI)
Positive Expectancies
Negative Expectancies
Results:
• Both AAAI and Quantity were found to
have a significant impact on the
combined dependent variables;
F(6, 568) = 5.037, p < .01; Wilks’
Lambda = .902; partial eta squared
= .051
F(6, 568) = 6.015, p < .01, Wilks’
Lambda = .884; partial eta squared = .06
• No statistically significant interaction
effect
Results:
• When results were considered
separately:
RAPI found to be significantly impacted
by both AAAI and Quantity;
F(2, 286) = 11.936, p < .01; partial eta
squared = .017
F(2, 286) = 16.473, p < .01; partial eta
squared = .103
No statistically significant interaction
effect
Results:
AAAI was also found to have a
significant impact on Positive
Expectancies:
F(2, 286) = 7.679, p < .001; partial eta
squared = .051.
No statistically significant interaction
effect
Results:
• Two-Way Between Groups MANOVA:
Impact of Gender and Residence
during Term on consumption pattern
3 Dependent Variables:
Frequency of experienced negative
consequences (RAPI)
Annual Absolute Alcohol Intake
Frequency of consumption of 5 or more
drinks (Binge)
Results:
• Only gender was found to have a
significant effect on combined
variables:
F(3, 289) = 16.702, p < .01, Wilks’
Lambda = .857; partial eta squared =
0.143
No significant effect of Residence
during Term
No significant interaction effect
Results:
• When results were considered
separately:
Gender found to have significant
impact on each of the 3 variables:
RAPI: F(1, 291) = 7.694, p < .01; partial eta
squared = .026
AAAI: F(1, 291) = 44.821, p < .01; partial eta
squared =.1333
Binge: F(1, 291) = 9.433, p < .01; partial eta
squared =.031
Phase 2: Qualitative study
• The qualitative study (Study 2) consisted of interviews conducted
with a convenient sample of 12 participants (m:f=1:1)
– To provide an in-depth exploration of students’ reasoning as to their own patterns
of consumption, experience of intoxication, negative consequences, and the
impact of these on the student.
• Qualitative data initially analysed using a Thematic Analysis (Braun
& Clarke, 2006)
• Revealed a number of key themes, including;
– the belief and expectation that drinking pattern would change
– the lack of credibility of public discourse and policy in relation to binge drinking
– the role of self-esteem and beliefs about the self
– a sense of contextualised social anxiety
– ‘Irishness’: cultural context and influence
• Overarching theme of contradiction and denial throughout –
corroborates quantitative findings
• This analysis highlighted the complexity of factors inherent in binge
drinking
Some responses:
• “So like, the pre-drinking bit, I think that loads of people
do that now, it’s kind of like the part to get drunk, to get
really drunk in and then by the time you get into the club
just have a couple more...”
• “...well this is one common to everybody, you feel, you
feel more confident when you’re drinking but as I said
like confidence it’s not, I don’t drink to, to feel confident, I
just happen to feel more confident when I’m drinking...”
Some responses:
• “...like I used to worry about getting drunk to have a good
time...”
• “...it would feel [going out and not drinking alcohol] like
you were automatically, people would think, oh because
she’s not drinking she’s not having fun, even if you were
having fun it just kind of seems like people mightn’t be as
willing to like engage with you like, kind of, you do feel
different, like you’d be oh she’s driving, she’s not
drinking like, she’s not up for as much of a laugh...”
Go raibh míle maith agaibh!
sinead.nichaolain@ucdconnect.ie